Shahina Nafeesa

Shahina K. K. is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning Indian journalist and the Founder and Editor of Offbeat Concerns (OBC), an independent journalism and media literacy initiative dedicated to fact-checking, digital verification, research, and public-interest journalism. She also teaches Media Law, Freedom of the Press, Internet Freedom, and Digital Safety at the Kerala Media Academy. With nearly three decades of experience across television, print, and digital media, she is recognised for her investigative reporting on human rights, democratic institutions, gender, state surveillance, police accountability, climate change, and social justice. Her reporting has focused on amplifying underrepresented voices and examining the intersection of law, governance, and public policy in southern India.

Before founding Offbeat Concerns, Shahina served as Senior Editor at Outlook magazine, where she led editorial coverage of southern India. Earlier, she was Associate Editor at The Federal and Open magazine, and Special Correspondent at Tehelka, producing investigative and analytical reporting on politics, civil liberties, gender justice, environmental issues, and agrarian distress. She began her journalism career with Asianet in 1997, where she rose from Sub Editor to News Editor, acquiring extensive experience in newsroom management, editorial leadership, and multimedia journalism. Her career reflects an enduring commitment to independent, evidence-based journalism and public accountability.

Shahina was the first recipient of the Kerala State Television Journalism Award and the first female journalist from both print and television to receive this honor since the award's inception. She declined the award in protest against the alleged atrocities committed by the then Kerala government against journalists M K Ramdas of Asianet and P. K. Prakash of Madhyamam. This action highlighted her enduring commitment to press freedom and journalistic independence.

Shahina's work has received national and international recognition, including the International Press Freedom Award (2023) , the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Journalist, the Laadli Media Fellowship, and the WISCOMP Scholar of Peace Media Fellowship. She has also been a speaker at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, 2024.

Her commitment to independent journalism has also come at a personal cost: she has been prosecuted under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with an investigative report, a case widely regarded by press freedom advocates as emblematic of the legal challenges journalists face in India.

She holds a Master's degree in English Language and Literature, a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication and Journalism, a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Rights Law. Through her journalism, teaching, and research, she continues to contribute to strengthening press freedom, information integrity, and democratic discourse in India.